Circumstantial
by JeMappelleTea
Summary: Starts in Season 4 Finale right before Luke goes to chase Kirk and before Lorelai goes home to find Rory with Dean. Don't know where it's headed but definitely will end up a story for Java Junkies.
1. Jason and Lorelai, Ben and Jennifer

/b Starting at Season 4 finale when Luke goes to chase Kirk and before Lorelai goes back to the house finding Rory with Dean. I don't know where this will end up, but will definitely be a story for Java Junkies.  
  
/b I do not own the characters or any previous plots from which this story may stem. I do, however, own the head from which this story was created and reserve all rights to it.  
  
Lorelai was about to go for a third kiss when she heard someone screaming down the stairs. She turned frantically to find Kirk, stark naked running towards her, indifferent to her presence.  
  
"Oh, shit." stammered Luke, obviously having forgotten his new job for the weekend as Kirk's bodyguard in protection of himself.  
  
"What's happening?" yelled Lorelai as Luke started to chase after Kirk.  
  
"I'll tell you later!" He hollered in reply without looking back.  
  
Lorelai laughed at the scene to herself, but instantly wished that her entertainment was not Kirk running naked through the lawn of the inn but instead going in for that third kiss.  
  
She leaned against the door frame and her eyes glazed over in a daze when she heard a voice behind her. "Lorelai?" She had completely forgotten that Jason was still there.  
  
"Jason, won't you please leave?"  
  
"Why should we? Things were good..."  
  
"They /i good, Jason. They /i." She gave him an incredulous stare. "Why are you still here?"  
  
"Because I can fix things. I can't live without you, Lorelai."  
  
"Well I'm sorry, but you're going to have to learn how." She looked over her shoulder hoping that Luke would come back soon; she felt she needed more help now than Kirk did. "Digger..." she had become exasperated with his presence.  
  
"Lor, listen..."  
  
"No. You can't sue my father, expect to stay with me then, and then come back weeks later and expect to be back with me now!"  
  
"But it was all a mistake!"  
  
"And why the hell are you telling people that we're still together?!"  
  
"Because we are!"  
  
"No! We're not. I already ended this. I'm already with somebody else. You've gotta get over it."  
  
"Who?"  
  
She was flustered. She hadn't even really said it to anybody before except for Rory, if that really even counted. "Luke."  
  
"The diner guy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Your mother said that you were just friends."  
  
"You hear about my social life from my /i?" She looked up at the ceiling, very angry at the world about her. She looked at Jason again. "We /i just friends... the very /i of ijust friends/i." She flailed her hands and paced a bit in frustration.  
  
While Lorelai paced right inside the door, Luke walked back slowly and stayed in the shadows directly on the opposite side of the entry out of view of either Lorelai or Jason.  
  
"Lorelai, stop." He rested a hand on her shoulder and she stopped walking a groove in the floor. "Lor, you've gotta listen to me. I loved you. I'd never been in love before..." Lorelai looked back up at the ceiling shaking her head furiously.  
  
"No, Jason." On hearing Lorelai's words Luke let out a breath that he'd been holding since his arrival to the scene. "No, you didn't love me. Nobody who was in love with me would sue my father."  
  
"It was..."  
  
"...business, I know," she finished for him. "Boy, love sure does make you lose sight of your priorities, doesn't it?"  
  
"But I did..."  
  
"...love me?? No, you didn't! You didn't love me, Jason. /i Luke loves me." She looked straight into his eyes a little scared of how fast everything was coming out. Outside the door Luke ran a shaky hand through his hair. It certainly wasn't anything that he had been prepared to hear.  
  
"How do you..."  
  
"...know? Because I do. Because it's Luke. Because he always has no matter how stupid I was to ignore the fact that it was always right in front of my face. Because the two of us could only be ijust friends/i for so long." She would not let down her stare. Lorelai was going to show Jason how things really were.  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
She looked down at her feet, the first loss of eye contact since she started finishing his sentences. She was perturbed by his question but looked into his eyes once again when she found her answer. "Yes," she answered sincerely and decidedly. Outside, Luke was just glad that Lorelai could not see his stunned expression, but he was happier than he could remember ever being.  
  
Jason looked down at the small space between he and Lorelai, obviously disappointed. "Well, I guess I'd better get going then."  
  
"I think that'd be a good idea." She looked at him in a gaze of half pity. He began to walk out, dumbfounded. "Goodbye, Jason."  
  
He reluctantly waved to Lorelai without making eye contact and walked out of the inn without ever seeing Luke standing there in the very presence of the official breakup.  
  
Lorelai walked over to the staircase and sat on the bottom step. She sighed heavily and laid her head in her lap lacing her hands together and flopping them lazily by her ankles. Not only had she broken up with Jason but she had also professed her love for Luke, both of which had exhausted her. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally.  
  
After a few minutes Luke walked through the door quietly to find Lorelai sitting by herself in a position that made him hope that she wasn't crying. He sauntered silently over to where she was nearly asleep and tapped her leg gently with the tip of his shoe. She looked up at his face and smiled.  
  
"Hey," she managed to get out.  
  
"Hey." They looked at each other for a brief moment before Lorelai became preoccupied with watching her hands fumble about themselves. She was clearly still anxious about everything. "So... Jason left?"  
  
She paused before she answered. "Yes... Did he see you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. But you saw him?"  
  
"Not really. But I heard..."  
  
Lorelai groaned. She buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes hoping that it was all just a dream and she could just wake up back by the door frame preparing herself to kiss Luke for the third time. As long as that part wasn't a dream. That was too good to have it be a dream. "How much did you hear?"  
  
"You said yes."  
  
She lifted her head in confusion but her eyes remained closed. "What? I said yes to...?"  
  
"He asked if you..." he fumbled when he got to the next word.  
  
Lorelai groaned again and put her head back in her lap. This night was supposed to be better. Luke's good attitude from before was being fowled around with as well. Wasn't she excited about this before? Luke sat down on the stair next to her and grabbed one of her ever moving hands while it was free. He laced his fingers through hers and she looked up at him into his eyes.  
  
"You know, you were right."  
  
"That Brad and Jennifer should have never been together in the first place? Yeah, I know."  
  
"That I love you," he replied without a beat. She flinched at the memory of her conversation with Jason. "And that I always have." This made her look back into his eyes once again. She took her free hand and ran it slowly but steadily through the hair on his cheek and along his jaw line.  
  
"Luke..." she leaned in towards him and began to close her eyes thanking God that the moment she had wanted had finally come but before their lips ever touched she heard screaming from outside. Exasperated she closed her eyes hard and leant her forehead against Luke's shoulder. "I believe that foghorn belongs to you, Luke. Please tell me that you brought Bert with you and you know how to turn it off as well as you know how to take bells out of church towers."  
  
"I'll see what I can do," he replied gravely. "Be back here when I've broken it, okay?"  
  
She shook her head. "I've gotta go get Rory. I sent her on an errand back when dirt was new and I should go check up on here. Plus I left a few things at home that I really need for this weekend to be as good as it needs to be." He nodded understandably. "But I will be back soon. Don't you doubt that for a moment. Now, go out there and do something about Kirk, will ya?"  
  
Luke sprang to action at the reminder and gave her one last look of longing before going to tackle Kirk, the town terror.  
  
TBC 


	2. The Comfort in Silence

/b Thank you for all your kind reviews! I am shocked and wonderfully happy with how responsive all you readers are. And could somebody please tell me how to make my html stuff work better? At least when I put it on and look at the story it doesn't work and looks all messed up which is really unfortunate because the italic words really make a bit of difference in conversations and such... And thanks again to everybody who's reading this.  
  
/b I do not own the characters or any previous plots from which this story may stem. I do, however, own the head from which this story was created and reserve all rights to it.  
  
She had come home to find Rory. Well, she had certainly done that. Lorelai was now standing on her porch looking down at her one and only daughter cry to herself in a heap on the front lawn. Lorelai didn't know what to do; she had never imagined herself in this position. What do you say to your daughter who just lashed out at you after reprimanding her for sleeping with a married guy?  
  
Lorelai walked to the edge of the porch and sat herself down slowly on the top step. She wanted to hold her daughter and make her realize that everything would turn out fine, but she couldn't tell if that would be too close for Rory's comfort. She tucked her hair behind her ears and stared at her hands as she wondered where it was that Rory's childhood had gone.  
  
Rory, too, was staring at her own hands. She sniffed back the last of her tears and rocked herself slightly finding that she couldn't comfort herself very well when she knew her mother could do it better. She didn't regret what had happened, but she did know that it had been a bad idea. And her mother was right; she hadn't talked to Dean about everything that was going on with Lindsay. She had reminded him that he was still married to her and then he told her that everything was going bad in the marriage and then they pressed onward. No more questions asked. Rory wasn't sure if she even loved him or if, just like Paris had said, she had just had a very celibate year and the opportunity overcame her and she seized it when it came. She didn't even know if she loved Dean. She had once and those feelings never really go away but if she was truly in love with him at this point wouldn't she have waited to do things right?  
  
The Gilmore girls sat silently and kept to their own thoughts. Both needed the comforting of the other, though and the space between them was overwhelming. Lorelai listened to the little things around her as she waited for a cue from her daughter as to what she should be doing as a mother. Lorelai could hear crickets in the distance and the buzzing of the dying porch light. The phone inside rang but neither Lorelai nor Rory budged to pick it up. The answering machine turned on but after the beep nobody left a message. Rory and Lorelai continued to sit in silence.  
  
After a few minutes Rory spoke up. "Mom?" she beckoned without turning to face her mother.  
  
"Yes, Rory?" Lorelai lifted her voice just loud enough to be barely audible. "I'm right here."  
  
Rory sighed. She knew that her mother was right there. And it was comforting enough just to know the fact, but it still was weird that it almost felt too close. Rory turned around to face her mother but did not look up at her. She felt too ashamed to look her in the eye. "I... I'm sorry I yelled at you."  
  
Lorelai looked Rory and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. What had happened to her little girl? "I'm sorry there had to be a reason for you to yell at me," came Lorelai's reply.  
  
Rory blushed. It was all her fault, wasn't it? She looked down at her hands again. Another awkward silence ensued.  
  
"Hey sweets," Lorelai started, "we should really be getting back to the inn. Or at least I should. It doesn't matter if you do or not... if you can stand sharing a room with me it'd be great to have your company but either way as the manager of this inn I really need to..."  
  
"Yeah, let's go," Rory spoke up. "I can't stay here tonight."  
  
Lorelai nodded thoroughly understanding her daughter's implications. Both mother and daughter stood up slowly and straightened out their dresses. Lorelai walked over to Rory was and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"I'm sorry," Rory whispered into her mom's ear. She sighed. "I love you, mom."  
  
"I love you, too, Rory." She kissed her daughter on the cheek and pulled out of the hug. She wrapped one arm around her daughter's shoulder and they began to walk towards the inn together. After they got out of their own yard Lorelai started to talk. "So a lot happened at the inn while you were gone..."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah... like Kirk running around naked and Luke chasing after him..."  
  
"Naked?"  
  
Lorelai flinched at the idea. "Thank God no... Actually Kirk interrupted me and Luke. It was very annoying, really."  
  
"Kirk always is."  
  
"Too true..." Lorelai told her daughter everything that had happened that evening from the kisses to Jason's leaving to finding Rory at home. There was still tension between Rory and Lorelai, but acting talking like they always did seemed to ease the stress substantially. Lorelai was just happy that she hadn't lost her daughter as her own mother had lost her.  
  
TBC 


	3. Sanctuary of Warm Embrace

/b I do not own the characters or any previous plots from which this story may stem. I do, however, own the head from which this story was created and reserve all rights to it.  
  
"Mom?" Rory asked after Lorelai told her everything that had happened that night.  
  
"Yes, Rory?"  
  
"You really love Luke?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Yeah, I think I do." She smiled at her own admission.  
  
Rory nodded and looked at the ground in the immediate space in front of them as they walked. Her mother was in love with Luke who they had known for years and years. And all she had done was kissed him innocently twice. She winced at the thought of the accusations she had made of her mother earlier in the evening. What she had said had, for the most part, been the truth. But it was the truth that she had known would hurt the most for Lorelai. And now when her mother was actually in love she had to do things that would ruin her mother's happiness.  
  
Lorelai and Rory walked up the stairs of the inn together in silence. Rory opened the door and they prepared themselves to go to sleep without talking to one another. There were two twin beds and they each got in their own. Lorelai turned off the lamp on the bedside table.  
  
"Goodnight, Rory."  
  
"Goodnight, Mom."  
  
Rory began to silently cry again. She couldn't remember things being so bad. So many mistakes had been made that night starting with letting Dean into the house and ending with not being happy for her mother's newfound love for Luke. Rory's tears acted as a lullaby and she was soon fast asleep.  
  
In the bed next to hers, however, Lorelai laid wide awake conscious of every movement and every sound made in the world around her. So much had happened so quickly and she didn't know what to make of it. She listened to Rory's deep breathing and knew that her daughter was in dream world, far away from the cruel harsh reality of the world she lived in.  
  
Lorelai peeled the blankets off of her and sat up on the edge of her bed. She silently walked across the room and opened the door. She looked over her shoulder to see Rory sleeping, smiled sadly, and then closed the door noiselessly behind her. Her bare feet felt cold against the hard wood floor as she crossed the hall and stood in front of door seven. She took a deep breath to pace herself and then knocked on the door quietly as to not wake up all of the townspeople. She heard the lamp being turned on inside the room followed by footsteps that neared the door. Luke opened the door and looked surprised to see Lorelai.  
  
"Hey, I had given up on you."  
  
"Not permanently, I hope."  
  
He smiled. "No, I would never do that." He yawned. He looked at her sleepily. She was wearing her pajamas and her hair was even curlier than he remembered it being before. She looked upset to him and just hoped that whatever had happened didn't have to do with him.  
  
Lorelai crossed her arms and pursed her lips. She really needed to talk to him. She needed to talk to anybody who would listen, really, as long as it wasn't Rory but she knew where to find Luke. Lorelai looked at him. He was in his boxers and an oversized t-shirt and his hair was messy. He had obviously just gone to bed. She felt slightly guilty for waking him but knew that he wouldn't mind.  
  
"Will you come in?" he asked her. She nodded and walked in. He shut the door behind her. He grunted to himself. "Do you want some coffee?" He motioned towards the coffee maker in the room and she saw the he had already prepared some.  
  
"You have some already made? I thought you hated coffee."  
  
"I was waiting for you so..."  
  
"So you made me coffee?"  
  
"Yeah. It's a nervous tick I guess." He ran his hand through his hair  
  
She smiled. "Coffee would be wonderful, Luke." He poured her a cup and handed it to her. She inhaled the steam and the aroma filled her lungs. She sipped it happily and a wide smile spread across her face. "Luke, you brought your own coffee!"  
  
"Yeah, well, I figured you wouldn't be putting pre-packaged Luke Danes coffee in every room."  
  
"Mmm... no, but if that were an offer I definitely would. It would be good for business. I'd be the inn with the world's best coffee." She smiled tentatively then sighed.  
  
"Lorelai, what's wrong?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Uh oh..."  
  
She glanced up at him and looked him in the eyes. She shook her head. "No, not everything, Luke. Just everything that's not in this room."  
  
He smiled and understood that there was nothing wrong between the two of them at least. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. After a few seconds Lorelai walked over and sat down very close next to him. His arm was lying between them and was the only barrier between their physical contact. She looked down at it and gently picked it up lacing her fingers through his. She looked him in the eye.  
  
"You're the only thing that makes even the slightest bit of sense to me, and even this confuses me like hell," Lorelai said without blinking.  
  
"Then let me clear things up for you." Luke leaned in and kissed her. He pulled back.  
  
She smiled. "I wish all confusion were this good." She leaned over and kissed him. She pulled away briefly enough to look into his eyes and have the world turn into a haze. They both moved in this time, their lips crashing against one another and neither one knew how it could feel so right to be doing this when they had only just started seeing each other in a new light. They slowly pulled apart and Lorelai leaned her forehead against Luke's. "All that and no Kirk screaming and running around completely naked..."  
  
He laughed a little then smiled. "You taste like coffee."  
  
She finished drinking her coffee and set the mug on the floor. "You know, funny thing about that." Luke leaned in and kissed her again. She smiled against his lips and opened her mouth. He seized the moment to explore her mouth. She untangled her hand from his and brought it up around the back of his head and pulled him closer. She played with his hair a bit as she caressed his tongue with her own. With kisses like these she could forget all the world's problems. But when she pulled away, she remembered them again. "And you said you didn't like coffee, Mr. Danes."  
  
"It gets better every time I try it. An early death must be an acquired taste."  
  
She smiled at him and she sighed. "Luke..."  
  
"What's wrong, Lorelai?"  
  
She furrowed her brow. "Everything."  
  
"We've already been down that road, Lorelai."  
  
She nodded and sighed. "It's Rory."  
  
Luke sat up straight and looked serious. "What happened to her?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head. "Nothing. Well, actually, everything happened to her." She closed her eyes and tried her hardest not to cry. "When I got home I found Rory and..." she looked up at the ceiling and shook her head, visualizing everything that had happened. "She and Dean came out of her room together. I asked her what he was doing there and she said he was just there to borrow something but I knew she was lying to me. Her hair was all messed up and she was frantic and breathless." Lorelai started fidgeting with her hands and she started to cry. "God, Luke... she had sex with him."  
  
"She did what?!" he yelled.  
  
"Shh... don't wake everybody up. Especially with Kirk next door we don't want him to go berserk again..." She down at her hands and shook her head. "Luke, I just don't understand. She's a smart kid and she goes to Yale. And he's married..." Lorelai wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Luke, she's only 19, she's not supposed to do this yet."  
  
"Lorelai, as much as I'm on your side on this one I'm going to have to ask you, how old were you?"  
  
"Sixteen..." she reluctantly replied.  
  
"Right, so you can't tell me she's too young."  
  
"But she is too young. She's Rory. She's my baby. Any age is too young for Rory." She bit her bottom lip and blinked a few times. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks.  
  
Luke rubbed Lorelai's back and tried to think of what he could do. He wanted to pummel Dean but knew that it was a two way street; Rory was as much to blame as Dean was. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of this."  
  
Lorelai grunted. She didn't know what to do with that comment. "I just keep thinking maybe if I hadn't gone home, if I didn't need my camera and some band-aids, if I didn't go home looking for her... it would've happened but I wouldn't have to know about it. Or at least not yet. And I wouldn't have had to catch her doing it and lying to me like she's Winona Rider. Instead I could've been here with you and oblivious the entire notion that my daughter was doing something entirely grown up that I never wanted to imagine her doing. Innocence is bliss..." She cried some more.  
  
Luke took his hand and placed it under her chin. "Lorelai, everything will be alright. You've gotta learn to let go." She nodded. "You need your sleep. You're never going to live through the test weekend if you cry to me all night." He pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She felt so protected in the sanctuary of his arms.  
  
"How did I get so lucky to have you for a friend?" she mumbled into his shoulder.  
  
"Just a friend?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Luke, we could never be just friends very well. You know that a hell of a lot better than I do. But Luke, I don't deserve this."  
  
"Lorelai, you deserve more than this."  
  
She sighed. He began to let go of her. "No, Luke. Don't let go. Not yet." He held on to her tight again. She closed her eyes and yawned. "I love you, Luke." It was the most natural thing in the world to be saying that to him.  
  
"I love you, too." He smiled at the thought.  
  
Lorelai picked her head up off his shoulder and looked at him. "What time do you wake up?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Will you wake me up when you get up?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I need to be up early to make sure nothing goes wrong here at the inn and I don't want to be mean and wake Rory up that early in the morning, too, with an alarm clock. She should be able to sleep in at least so I was hoping you could wake me up..."  
  
"Five thirty."  
  
"Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me."  
  
"When you open a diner at six, you've got to get up before six." Lorelai scrunched up her nose. "You still want me to wake you up?" She nodded. "Okay. I'll wake you up a little after five thirty."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"No, thank you for everything. Not just waking me up. For calming me down about Rory. For not going too far off the deep end about Jason showing up unannounced. For this..." she leaned in to kiss him and he reciprocated the action. It was by far the gentlest kiss they had shared so far. It moved slowly but extremely sensually. The movement of their tongues created a slow pulse that drove through both of them and their mouths had a rhythm of its own. As Lorelai pulled away she was on the brink of tears again, but this time from sheer ecstasy. "...especially for that." She looked deep into his eyes. She had never known Luke like this, but it felt like she had only ever known him in this way. "I love you, Luke."  
  
"You already said that."  
  
"It doesn't make it any less true."  
  
"I love you, too, Lorelai."  
  
Lorelai kissed him again. "I'd better be going."  
  
Luke nodded. They kissed one more time before letting go from their warm embrace. "Goodnight, Lorelai."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
She backed out of the room soundlessly and closed the door behind her. She crept across the hall and back into her room. The light from the hallway bathed Rory's sleeping face and Lorelai smiled at the sight of her baby girl. She closed the door and walked over to Rory's bed. "I love you, Rory," she whispered. She bent down and kissed her daughter on the cheek then crawled into the bed next to her. She fell fast asleep almost instantly.  
  
TBC 


	4. Spots on the Dress

Note: I am tremendously sorry about how long it took me to update. This truly was "circumstantial" as the title of this fic may imply. First I had school to attend to, then my phone service completely died, and then we went on vacation which meant I was away from my lovely PC for a long while. But I am done with school now and I am not planning on any more trips for a good bit so I intend on updating at least every other day. Maybe daily. We'll see. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!  
  
The early morning sun of summer shone through the window treatments faintly illuminating the entire room. The warm light reflected off Lorelai's face and made her dark curls glow. She was in a deep sleep and was perfectly happy. She could have sworn she smelled the aroma of coffee but had convinced herself that it was all a dream. She was in a pleasant stupor of being unsure what was real and what was a dream until she felt someone nudge her in the back.  
  
"Lorelai, wake up," Luke beckoned from above her.  
  
She pushed his arm away and groaned. "Go away."  
  
"It's 5:45."  
  
"Go away."  
  
"I have coffee."  
  
Lorelai stopped pushing Luke away and lay motionless seeming to consider what he had said. "It's a good argument but go away."  
  
"Lorelai, you asked to be woken up when I got up. It's now fifteen minutes after I got up."  
  
Lorelai whined. "So?"  
  
"Do you want Taylor to get up before you and let the entire town know what a terrible manager you are?"  
  
Lorelai opened her eyes immediately and sat up as fast as she could. "So," she said, "where's that coffee?" He handed her a mug and she sipped it, inhaling the steam and she moaned. "You are a god." He grunted in response. "Who was the Greek god of coffee?"  
  
"I don't think there was one."  
  
"Huh. What kind of civilization were they anyway?"  
  
"Evidently one without a superior taste in beverages."  
  
"Evidently." She smiled and looked at him in the eyes. She cleared her throat nervously and glared at him when he stayed where he was. "Luke, I've gotta get dressed."  
  
"Oh, right. I'll be going then. Gotta open the diner anyway." He turned to leave.  
  
"Thanks for the coffee."  
  
"No problem." He waved and closed the door behind him.  
  
Twenty minutes later Lorelai found her way downstairs. For the most part it was a silent and beautiful summer morning except for the clamor and the clangor that she heard coming from inside the kitchen. She stopped at the bottom of the staircase and looked thoughtfully at the front entryway. She smiled serenely. However, when she heard a crash from inside the kitchen and was immediately taken out of her trance. She walked through the kitchen door.  
  
"Sookie?" Lorelai called. She was surprised at the amount of action going on inside the kitchen.  
  
"I'm fine..."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Over here." Lorelai walked around the island and found Sookie sitting on the floor with her head leaning against the cabinet.  
  
"I've never seen you working this early."  
  
"You're rarely up this early."  
  
"Touché." She looked down at Sookie and stood silent.  
  
Sookie got up and brushed herself off. She laughed nervously a little and then looked at Lorelai. Lorelai looked at the floor as if she were in deep thought and Sookie immediately picked up on her behavior. "You're unusually quiet today," she said observantly.  
  
"Yeah, well..."  
  
Sookie noticed that Lorelai had a coffee cup in her hand. "Where did you get that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your coffee. It's not a mug from the inn."  
  
"Oh, it's Luke's."  
  
"You've already gone to Luke's this morning?"  
  
"No, he gave it to me when I got up."  
  
"And he knew when you got up how?"  
  
"He woke me up."  
  
"He woke you up?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, either that sounds extraordinarily rude of him like he created a lot of noise and he awoke you from your 100 year slumber or else it sounds like something very kinky went on between you two that I would love to hear the details on."  
  
Lorelai blushed. "I asked him to wake me up. I didn't want to use an alarm clock and wake Rory up."  
  
"How considerate of you." Sookie was a bit disappointed that nothing did happen between them, but had long since decided that both were far too stubborn to ever acknowledge what sparks there were between them.  
  
"Yeah..." Lorelai's gaze drifted elsewhere as did her train of thought.  
  
Sookie watched Lorelai carefully. "So, Luke..." Lorelai smiled at the mention of his name but her gaze was still distanced. Sookie loved pressing the subject of Luke and Lorelai anyway even if she had given up on them, and so she indulged herself. "He's a good guy, isn't he?"  
  
"Definitely is."  
  
"He makes you happy."  
  
"Yes, he does."  
  
"And remind me now why you two won't get together?"  
  
Lorelai's smile broadened. "We already are." She looked Sookie in the eye to watch her expression.  
  
Sookie looked startled confused and started to laugh. "What? Are you serious?" She wished so much that Lorelai was in fact serious but she never knew...  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "No, Sookie, I only joke about my relationships." She hit Sookie on the arm.  
  
"But Jason was here last night. I thought maybe you two were back together."  
  
Lorelai sighed, annoyed at the memory. "I told him off and after a long while he got the idea that I didn't want to see him and he left."  
  
"And Luke?" Sookie was getting excited but still didn't know if she should believe her ears.  
  
"Luke got jealous of Jason because he thought we were together and it was really pretty cute and he told me that he was doing everything right according to the book and didn't know where we went wrong. He said he thought that we had a moment at Liz's wedding and I told him that we did then he told me to stand still and he kissed me. Twice."  
  
"What book?"  
  
"I dunno. He's Luke. You never really know."  
  
"And you didn't tell me this last night, why?"  
  
"Aw, well, honey, you're the first person to know. Well, after Luke, Rory, and Jason of course."  
  
"Jason knew before me?"  
  
"It's why he left."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Besides. Last night was hectic. I found Rory pulling a Lewinski and it was a mess and I couldn't really tell you."  
  
"Rory did what?!" Lorelai looked at the floor slightly ashamed. "Who was playing Clinton?"  
  
"Dean."  
  
"Noo..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And they lied about it?"  
  
"In front of the entire viewing public."  
  
"Which was..."  
  
"Me, naturally."  
  
"And the spots on the dress?"  
  
"All there."  
  
"Wow. Oh, I'm so sorry, honey."  
  
"Yeah well. Just another of our whirlwind big city adventures."  
  
"Guess so." Sookie looked thoughtful for a moment then gave a wry smile. "So... you and Luke, huh?"  
  
Lorelai smiled. "Yup, me and Luke."  
  
Sookie smiled giddily and gave Lorelai a huge hug.  
  
"Sookie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Something's burning." They pulled out of their hug hurriedly and Sookie looked over her shoulder to see what the matter was.  
  
"Oh, thanks. Talk to you later." Sookie blew Lorelai a kiss and waved.  
  
"Bye..." Lorelai walked out of the kitchen ready to start the day. 


	5. Ravish me, Ralph

The morning went by without a hitch. Sookie's blackberry bread pudding was an instant favorite on the breakfast menu and the fresh fruit that was served was so ripe and well prepared that even Taylor couldn't find anything wrong with it.  
  
When breakfast was nearing its end Lorelai surveyed the dining room and noticed that Rory never came down to eat. She slipped out through the back and headed upstairs. Lorelai poked her head through the door of their room and saw Rory still fast asleep in her bed. Lorelai smiled sadly and closed the door without making a sound. Her baby needed all the sleep she could get even if it did mean missing the formal breakfast; Sookie would always have leftovers to feed her when she managed to awaken.  
  
Lorelai crept down the stairs and headed into the kitchen.  
  
"Sookie?"  
  
"Yeah, hun?"  
  
"Do you need me for anything?"  
  
"No, I'm good. Why?"  
  
"I'm gonna go run for coffee."  
  
"You know, we have coffee here, Lorelai."  
  
"I know, but..." she hesitated and looked pleadingly at Sookie.  
  
Sookie looked up and realized that she wanted to go to Luke's not just for the coffee this time. "Oooh..."  
  
"I just wanna return his mug, that's all. He left it here this morning..." Lorelai half-pouted through her charade.  
  
"Go and return it. Everything's fine here." Sookie smiled at her friend.  
  
Lorelai beamed and blushed simultaneously and hurried towards the door. She stopped suddenly and turned around still with a smile on her face. "Sookie?"  
  
"Yes, Lorelai?"  
  
"Can you make a plate for breakfast for Rory? She's not up yet and I bet she'd love some of your bread pudding. I mean how could she not? She's my daughter after all and boy do we love food like that..."  
  
"Lorelai?"  
  
"Yes, Sookie?"  
  
"Go see Luke."  
  
"Am I annoying you?"  
  
"No, but I know that you want to see him."  
  
Lorelai mock gasped. "How do you know?"  
  
"I'm psychic."  
  
"Okay, Miss Cleo. I'll go. But only so I can fulfill what it is you see in my cards."  
  
"See you later."  
  
Lorelai grinned and turned on her heel to exit the kitchen.  
  
Lorelai smiled and was giddy. Never could she remember being so personally enthralled with the idea of going to Luke's just to see Luke. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were slightly flushed as she practically skipped out of the Dragonfly Inn. However, this mood of hers would not go unnoticed.  
  
Lorelai walked down the gravel driveway with a great deal of speed and determination. As she passed Miss Patty, Miss Patty called out to her, "Honey, what's the rush?"  
  
"I'm going to get coffee," Lorelai hollered back, now walking backwards to face her at least momentarily.  
  
"Has the inn run out?"  
  
Lorelai grinned to herself associating Luke and coffee turning them almost synonymous in her head. "You could say that."  
  
"Okay, dear, hurry back!"  
  
"Will do!" Lorelai continued on her way.  
  
Babette looked at Lorelai as she sped down the path and approached Miss Patty without losing focus of her next door neighbor. "Where's she goin'?"  
  
"To get coffee."  
  
"Luke's?"  
  
"Most likely."  
  
"You know, I've got a feelin' that something's finally goin' on between them."  
  
"Oh, I hope so." Miss Patty looked down at Babette and smiled. "I certainly do hope so."  
  
Lorelai neared the end of the drive of the Inn and she was about to break into a run (although just the idea of that much physical exertion exhausted her) when she heard another voice call at her with urgency.  
  
"Lorelai!"  
  
Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks and her face tightened up like a child who was just barely caught with eating candy before dinner.  
  
Taylor Doose approached Lorelai with his pad of paper and his pencil. He stared at her incredulously and spoke as if he were her father, reprimanding her for running away.  
  
"Yes, Taylor?" She was annoyed with his presence but tried her hardest to not let it be obvious to him. It was obvious nonetheless, but still he ignored it.  
  
"Lorelai, where do you think you are going?"  
  
"To town, Taylor."  
  
"You are the executive manager of this inn. You cannot leave it unattended. That is irresponsible."  
  
"Why don't you make a note of that on your list of things to be fixed that you will be giving the management?"  
  
"I think I will do that." He turned to go inside.  
  
"Taylor, I am the management!" She yelled, her arms accentuating the exclamation.  
  
Taylor continued inside without acknowledging Lorelai's remark.  
  
Lorelai sighed and shook her head. "Stupid town," she huffed. She glared at Taylor as he walked into the inn and turned her head to look at the ground. She smiled when she remembered where it was that she was going when she had been so rudely stopped. She started to walk again, slowly at first but then began to put more skip into her step. Nothing, not even Taylor Doose, could stop her now.  
  
She walked briskly through town and slowed slightly when she reached Doose's Market so she didn't seem too rushed when she entered the diner. She paced herself and took deep breaths. iThis is stupid,/i she thought, /ithis is Luke/i. She stopped herself. /i She gasped. She looked inside through the window. "It's Luke," she said to herself with a tone of wonderment that she only felt when the first snow of the season fell. But not only then did she have that feeling anymore. She felt it, too, with Luke.  
  
Lorelai smiled and began walking again. She stepped up the stair to the door and leaned against the glass panel, willing the door to open before her. The bell rang above her head and she stalked her way over to the counter, grinning broadly both inside and out. She sat down on her stool and watched Luke behind the counter.  
  
Luke was talking to Crazy Carrie Duncan when Lorelai walked in. He saw her in the corner of his eye and grinned internally, although in the flesh he looked as annoyed with the world as he generally did.  
  
"So, Luke," Carrie beckoned. "My husband's out for a week. I was thinking that you and I could go out for coffee or something..."  
  
"Why would I do that? I serve coffee here."  
  
"Or how about a movie? That works, too."  
  
"How about no."  
  
Lorelai was watching the exchange calmly but with a great deal of interest. She remained silent for the entire match of verbal tennis.  
  
"Why not? It'll be fun. Like old times," Carrie said. "Or we could go back behind the bleachers... if I recall that was a favorite place of yours."  
  
Luke eyed Lorelai quickly then returned his attention to Carrie. "I've already said no and I'm going to keep it at no."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because," he grunted. He was agitated, especially with Lorelai in such close proximity.  
  
"Have you already got a mistress?"  
  
Luke clenched his jaw and was painfully obvious about his anger, then smiled and released all of his energy. "Yes, actually."  
  
Carrie looked slightly hurt. "Who? Have I met her?"  
  
"Not formally anyway." He glanced at Lorelai and noticed that she was smiling at him.  
  
"Too bad. I really think I could've made you happy, Luke."  
  
He grunted and glared at her.  
  
"Well," Carrie said, "I guess I'll just try again later. If you and this mystery lady ever fall apart just give me a ring. I'll be there to pick up the pieces." She got up off her stool and left the diner.  
  
Lorelai sat in her stool smirking. Luke turned to her and sighed. He grabbed the coffee pot and turned to her. "Coffee?"  
  
"I come with my own mug."  
  
"That's my mug."  
  
"The one you foolishly left in my possession."  
  
"So I'm assuming the answer to my question is yes."  
  
"When you make assumptions like that I'm surprised you have to ask at all." She grinned up at him as he poured her the coffee. When he finished she took a sip and moaned.  
  
"Don't do that," he said.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Moan like that. It sounds like you're..." he trailed off.  
  
"Sounds like I'm what?" She raised her eyebrows.  
  
Luke blushed and looked at the floor. "Never mind."  
  
"Dirty," she whispered and then took another sip of her coffee, grinning broadly all the while.  
  
Luke picked up a towel and began scrubbing the counter in front of Lorelai. He watched her intently as she drank from his mug but said nothing. She set down her mug and looked up at him.  
  
"So this mystery woman..." she began. "Carrie doesn't know her, but do I?"  
  
"I dunno... perchance you do."  
  
She smiled. "Will you tell me who it is?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Not even a first name?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Hmm..." she looked playfully down at her hands and acted as if she was pondering who it could possibly be.  
  
Luke bent down on the counter and looked Lorelai in the eyes. He whispered. "All right."  
  
Lorelai looked up and smiled.  
  
"Her name is Stella."  
  
Lorelai laughed a little. "Tandy?"  
  
Luke stood up. "What?"  
  
Lorelai shook her head and laughed that Luke had remembered the name of Rory's chick that he helped find at her house several years ago. "Nothing, Luke. Just amusing myself."  
  
"You do that well."  
  
She smiled as if to thank him for such a marvelous compliment. She looked into his eyes and he looked deeply into hers. He stopped wiping down the counter and just looked. Lorelai's breath quickened and suddenly she snapped her head down.  
  
"You know," she said, "if this counter weren't here..."  
  
He looked down at his hands slightly ashamed. "I know."  
  
She looked back up and gave a wry half smile. "I don't know if I should be happy or angry with its presence here in this fine establishment."  
  
"At this moment?" he asked her.  
  
"Definitely wish that it weren't." She blushed. Her nerves were getting to her. There was definite sexual tension in the air but was almost glad that the barrier was there. The things that she wanted to do were not for a family friendly environment, that was for sure.  
  
"How's Rory?" he asked in an effort to calm himself down.  
  
"I dunno. When I left she was still sleeping. I guess that's good at least." She shrugged. She didn't really want to get into this conversation again. Although she had only had it twice, it was two more times than she wanted to have it in the first place.  
  
"You know, I saw him this morning."  
  
"Clinton?" she said with urgency.  
  
"What?"  
  
She shook her head. "Never mind. You saw Dean?"  
  
"Walking down the street. He looked flustered. He was walking towards your house. I wanted to hurt him but I didn't. I also didn't bother telling him that nobody was at your place, but I'm assuming he found that out." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed audibly.  
  
"Oh, God..." Lorelai closed her eyes holding back her emotions. "Luke, I gotta go back to the inn. I don't want Dean going over there looking for Rory. It shouldn't be the first thing she wakes up to."  
  
"Lorelai, you can't protect her forever."  
  
"I can damn well try."  
  
He shook his head and looked at the ground. "Come with me, Lorelai." He grabbed her arm and drug her towards the staircase leading to his apartment.  
  
"Luke, you have customers."  
  
"Cesar, take over for a while!" Luke hollered.  
  
"Okay, boss!" came the reply.  
  
Luke pushed her up the rickety wooden stairs to his place and opened the door for her. He motioned her inside.  
  
"Okay, what's all this about?" She looked at him angrily.  
  
"Lorelai, Rory's almost 20 years old. You can't do things for her forever."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well if you really want to protect her you're not doing so well right now."  
  
Lorelai's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Lorelai, Rory had sex with Dean. You weren't there to protect her last night. You can't be there to protect her now."  
  
Lorelai blinked not knowing what to say. "Wow... I feel like a terrible mother."  
  
"Don't be absurd. You are a wonderful mother. But you've got to let her make her own mistakes."  
  
She looked at him with tears welling in her eyes. She barely shook her head from side to side. "But she's my daughter."  
  
"And you're her mother."  
  
Her stare turned to look at nothing. She turned dumbfounded and sat uncomfortably on the couch. She plopped her chin in her hands and gazed at the ever absent horizon. Luke sat down next to her silently and looked at her.  
  
After a minute of silence Luke spoke again. "Lorelai?"  
  
She raised her eyebrow to acknowledge that he spoke.  
  
"Rory will be fine. She's gotten by this far because she had an amazing mother. And she will continue to do well for herself because of all she has learned from that amazing mother. No matter what you do, do not doubt your job in raising her."  
  
Lorelai breathed heavily taking in what he said to her. Without dropping her gaze she dropped one hand to her side and laid it on top of Luke's, squeezing it, making sure she had contact with him. She turned her head slightly and looked at him from the corners of her eyes. "Thank you."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
Lorelai sighed. "I really do have to go back, though. Not just for Rory. But I'm the manager. Luckily there's other kitchen staff to keep Sookie from burning the place down, but you never know about Michel. He could always turn to arson the next time Taylor fills out another comment card."  
  
"I know. You'd better go back then." He rubbed her shoulder and looked at her almost longingly.  
  
The two stood up together. When they got to the door they turned to look at each other. Lorelai went in to hug him for his generosity in being a counselor, but became lost in his gaze as she did so. Both closing their eyes they leaned in for a warm embrace of another sort. Their lips were soft and gentle against one another's and their tongues gently and warmly caressed. This simple contact brought Lorelai to silent tears and as the salty water rippled down her fair cheek, it mixed with the warm saliva being passed between them turning the moment bittersweet. Lorelai pulled away slowly and brought her hand up to stroke the hair along his chin. As slowly as her lips had left his, she pulled his chin closer and pressed her open mouth against his own to enter back into the momentary ecstasy she craved. They played a sensual game of give and take with their tongues as Lorelai teased Luke's hair with her fingers. Luke ever so gently pulled her small figure closer to his own body resting the palm of his hand on the small of her back. A sudden sensation of cold air rushed through Lorelai's entire being as she grasped onto the meaning of being in love. She pulled back and without opening her eyes pressed her cool but moist forehead against Luke's. She shivered and Luke noticed. He rubbed his hands along her arms to warm her up.  
  
"Luke?" she said barely audible, almost pleading.  
  
"Yeah?" He replicated her tone flawlessly.  
  
"I'd better get back to the inn before I turn into Scarlet and say crazy things like 'Ravish me, Ralph.'"  
  
Luke nodded. Only then did she pick up her head and begin to move towards the door. She reached for the handle without looking back at him for fear that if she did she would never leave. She turned the handle slowly and looked at the floor. "I'll see you later then, alright?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She smiled to herself. "Good." She opened the door and walked out leaving Luke in his apartment alone yearning only for her body to be pressed up against him once again.  
  
TBC  
  
Post Script: The reference to Scarlet and "Ravish me, Ralph" comes from the book uFaking It/u by Jennifer Cruise and is a high quality romance novel. If anybody out there ever wants something high quality to read that has good kissing and sex scenes, this book is it. Just to let everybody know. Cheers! 


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